Florida Gators
Arizona
UF hoops rally falls short in 75-71 loss to Ariz
Saturday, November 10, 2001 | Men's Basketball
After Gardner made a three-pointer to give the Wildcats a 58-51 lead midway through the second half, the Gators went on an 18-11 run to tie the game 69-69 on Matt Bonner's basket with 3:32 to play. Rick Anderson put Arizona in front 71-69, then the Gators' Orien Greene made a layup with 1:05 to go to tie it up once again. Anderson then put Arizona up for good with his buzzer-beater. Anderson finished with 11 points.
The Gators had a chance to tie the game up, but Matt Bonner's pass off a jump ball went out of bounds with six seconds left.
"Coach (Donovan) told Matt to push the ball once we got the tip," said Gator assistant coach Donnie Jones. "There wasn't anybody looking when he made the pass."
Bonner led the Gators with 15 points. Udonis Haslem had 14 points and eight rebounds. Brett Nelson made a three-pointer for the 31st straight game. He finished with 13 points and seven assists.
Justin Hamilton, who scored a career-high 17 points in the win over Temple, ran into early foul trouble against the Wildcats and scored just four points. But his first field goal of the game gave the Gators their first lead, 29-28, with 5:35 to play in the first half. The Gators biggest lead was just four points.
"Those kids (Arizona) really came out and made the plays down the stretch," Jones said. "We had some opportunities but couldn't take advantage of it."
The Gators are now 1-1 on the season. They next play Friday night, Nov. 16, against rival Florida State. It will be the Gators' home opener.
